OK, that cut-away diagram of your government entry is a seriously cool touch!
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Wow that cut away pic is cool!
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Greetings Comrades
We updated our inventory:
The Bukhanka received an update and is now available in a Offroad version, giving our best everyday workhorse new raised suspension and a wider stance. Also avaiable at our dealer is the new double cabine variant.
The Rushba now comes as a sporty coupe! No need for any flashy expensive stuff. This is cheap, fun and if you crash it you can take the parts of the old Rushba.
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The Rhania Motor Company would like to introduce you its new race car:
Introducing the 1959 Rhania Hunter Type-C(Competition)!
This SUV is capable of 400 horsepower with its 7 liter V8! So in respect this would be in the R2 class.
Lore on this on my Rhania post.
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TURBOL Corporation Presents:
The 1955 Stellar
Following the success of the Stellar lineup in Letara, TURBOL determined that a dedicated manufacturing facility in Letara for Letara-specific models would be a prudent move. The unique conditions and tastes of Letara and its consumers were deemed ripe for more experimental models than were offered in other markets.
The Sensible One
Stellar Saloon is back and bigger than ever; the sensible choice. Your needs grow and Stellar grows with you. Stellar Saloon seats 5 in effortless comfort, miserly economy, and an affordable upfront price.
Specialty Cars for Specialty Markets
You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like. For Letarans with needs that can’t be met by the Saloon, Stellar offers the Personal Bus (left) and Trekker. Personal Bus provides comfortable seating for 7 in an innovative, spacious, and affordable package. Trekker takes the strengths of the Saloon and lifts them, literally, to new heights, with special equipment designed for when the pavement ends.
TURBOL Corporation Presents:
Bolland GPCTC
A time tested military vehicle esigned to combine the uses of a jeep and a tractor, the Bolland GPCTC (General Purpose Covered Tractor Car) has served various armed forces around the world and has been just refreshed for 1955. 1955 brought a new, more powerful engine, a 2.5 liter I4, allowing the GPCTC to travel at higher speeds than before; fast enough for any roads in Letara.
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is anyone even going to read this? I guess I'll just put a spaceship here (_)(_)=====D~~
^ The div above this is the first background, and the primary border. The background doesn’t move due to the “background-attachment: fixed” tag. The background loops vertically if your image is short or your device is tall enough, so this allows for patterns (see: portalkat’s AGC20)
Feel free to change the image to whatever suits your fancy.
^ The div above this is the second background, and secondary border. it also defines the text color and font family.
Planar History Files: A rear assault?
P&A since Round 1
Since their arrival into Letara, P&A hadn’t done much, content with their biggest success being in their support of the new racetrack at Lerance, and a tightening of Letara’s safety rules. However, they weren’t standing still in their home country of Australia, and they certainly wouldn’t stand still in Letara, even if they had a reputation to uphold.
In terms of the company itself, it was doing surprisingly well. Even with markets like Letara not exactly being a big cash cow yet, they were performing well enough at home that not only were there multiple partnerships being made for engine development, but in 1959 they even bought their longtime chassis supplier, the (at the time) ailing Halvson, to finally start developing their own chassis.
1955 P&A Paceman
Lore and pictures
In Australia, the 1955 Paceman was envisaged as a VW killer, complete with the assumption that being rear-engined was the reason people were flocking to the Beetle. In Letara, however, P&A was playing at being a more premium brand, so they instead only brought over the high-end models, and marketed it as “The Benetsch that isn’t a Benetsch”.
At the back of the car was its heart, the Rotomax RX40 engine, developed specifically for the Paceman. A 2 litre SOHC flat four, it was the most advanced engine Rotomax had ever made, and made 58kW (77hp), which was more than enough for the Paceman and its conservative top speeds. While there was going to be a more powerful six cylinder, it ruined the Paceman’s handling so was dropped for this car, so it and the RX series would end up living on for quite a while.
The interior was both spartan and lush, with the higher end models even featuring a luxury interior and a 2 speed automatic! P&A’s engineers really didn’t want to squander any comfort, so it had the relatively unique feature of having two different air blower systems. One up front, running air through a radiator to cool it a bit and essentially working as basic aircon, and a heater core up back with the engine. The engineers even went out of their way to ensure that every car had some form of a boot, even if it wasn’t massive in the sedans.
The car wasn’t exactly cheap though, which could’ve been a massive mistake in Letara at the time. With the “base” model (really the entry level premium model in the rest of the world) starting at a whopping $21,750 AMU after tax, and the top of the line and wagon models seen here going for around $26,000 AMU!
1959 P&A Raceman PR3
Lore and pictures
The P&A Raceman was custom built for Letara’s R1 category, despite its name (which was the result of two previous P&A PRototypes being built before it as an attempt to fit different engines into them). The car had a steel monocoque chassis and fibre glass panels, both firsts for the company and reasons that it had such a tough development.
The finished car had highly developed aerodynamics for the time, squeezing as much from the series’ allowable budget as possible. The two fins on its back are one of its defining features, with the engineers supposedly adding them to the design after seeing the Jaguar D-type, but keeping them after their wind tunnel testing showed that it performed better with them (OOC: they’re functionally useless don’t worry, this is just fluff because I managed to fit +8 aerodynamics into this lmao).
The other defining feature was the massive Perspex intake scoop, made so that the engine can suck in as much air as possible without significantly obstructing the driver’s view. The engine was something special, too. A prototype of the flat 6 P&A and Lyons were jointly developing, the 2.5L DOHC monster was a far cry from the engine that would eventually see release in the mid 60’s. The 156 kW in a tiny 870kg car were more than enough for it to tear around Lerance Raceway in a respectable time, but the worry was that the reliability wouldn’t keep up with it.
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For the racing series, I notice tire compounds aren’t specified anywhere, so I’d like to check;
semi-slick tires are allowed/expected in the R1 and R2 classes, correct?
Knightwick goes racing
The 1959 Knightiwck K40 roadster Letara racing series
Introduced in 1958 the K40 was a purpose-built lightweight sports car using a modern unibody platform but also sharing components with other Knightwick models to lower the list price and make parts available for repair and service.
The racing variant used a prototype twin cam headed version of the 1491cc engine allowing the engine better breathing and over 100bhp in full race trim.
The body and interior are much the same as the road car as it was already very lightweight and stripped out.
Consumer cars.
The first is a 1955 facelift to the Dragonfly sedan. The exterior receives high mounted headlights and new chrome trimmed grille with front indicators to replace the series 1 semaphores. Mechanically the engine has been upgraded to 1094cc now with 43bhp and more useable torque, the engine also now runs on regular fuel with only a tiny penalty to economy.
The second model is the 1956 Harris 1500 bringing the Dragonfly upmarket in the segment. The engine is the larger 1491cc Knightwick “B” engine as used in the K40 roadster. In this car it produces 59bhp making the car much more at home on the highways of Letara.
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The Aero Zipp
WE’RE GOING EVEN SMALLER!
About Aero in 1955
Overall, performance in Letara was considered average by Aero in the first few years. Sales in Letara were similar to most other non-Japan markets, with little to report; other, that is, than the results of the Portunis Cannonball run, in which Aero is pleased to boast a perfect reliability record! (Aero considers the crash at the end of the 1954 run to be a case of human error, and not a failure of the car itself)
It became clear pretty quickly to Aero throughout the late 40’s and early 50’s that there wasn’t much of a market for kei trucks and wagons outside of Japan; unless a market had a specific push towards smallness (which most didn’t), microtrucks simply didn’t provide any cost advantage. so while Aero continued to make Kei trucks and wagons for Japan, it began pulling these models from other markets into the 50’s. It kept its coupes in most places, however, as they usually did seem to attract at least a niche market.
As for lobbying, that was a mixed bag. Aero was happy that it was able to save the Center headlight along with Alira’s help, and that Letara was able to at least make some progress towards the phasing out of leaded fuels. They were also happy to see an emphasis on safety being fronted- but were appalled at the nonsensical way the new safety regulations were implemented. Aero found that the safety regulations were far too demanding given the technology of the day, and also found that they seemed to do a very poor job of actually making cars safer- though that is a discussion for another time.
About the Zipp
The Zipp is the next iteration of Aero’s formula. It’s small and cute, fun to drive while still being cheap and efficient; and most importantly of all, it still boasts semaphores! Now made in Letara, this compact, cute city-coupe is exported all over the world- primarily to Japan. And in a country as hard hit as Letara, Aero figures a car that’s cheap to run and loads of fun may be exactly what Letaran citygoers need!
Aero has ditched the “oversized” and “inefficient” 786cc engines from the Move, and has filled their lineup with 2 brand new, torquey engines; a 360cc engine for Japan’s kei regulations, and a bored-out 640cc engine designed for more upscale consumers. The former engine puts out 8hp (very little, yes, but not abnormal for microcars of this era), whereas the latter puts out almost double. In the Zipp, these engines also found their way to the rear of the car, to improve its handling and make the interior more spacious.
Also, around this time Aero began putting much greater emphasis on the car’s status as city vehicles; Advertising for the cars exclusively showed them in tight city environments (except, of course, the race version), and dealers were required to encourage potential buyers not to take the vehicles onto closed-access highways or roads with high speed limits.
This is the base model, available only in 1 tone color, and with the 360cc kei engine. It is intended to be one of the cheapest possible cars to own, thanks largely to an impressive 4.7 l/100km fuel economy. It also requires less than $500 in service costs.
This is the premium model, available in 1 or 2 tone color schemes, and with the bored-out 640cc engine. It is slightly more expensive than the base model in every way, but comes with more power and features, making it hopefully more fun to drive.
This is the convertible model, available in multiple paint/roof color combinations. The convertible version of the Zipp began production in Aero’s Letara factory in 1956, and was available for all trims worldwide, however due to Letara’s safety regulations, the convertibles could not actually be sold domestically.
Eventually in 1959, Aero was able to find enough loopholes in the broken law to get it through, but only by inflating the car’s cost drastically. So in Letara alone, Aero decided to present the car as a low-volume, limited edition version of the Zipp; available only with the larger engine, and with the most prestigious options Aero offered, including a radio and whitewall tires.
And here we have the R1 racing version, painted the same black/yellow as its predecessor. This Zipp goes all out in performance, with a custom 1.6L engine making 62hp (double its predecessor), and the highest quality available radial tires, while maintaining the focus on reliability from the cannonball run. This car is significantly below the required cost, but that’s because Aero literally couldn’t find anything else to spend money on; after all, the Zipp is a very cheap car.
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Thought at Aero… Of a brand from Island, founded by Quwertziopü Asdfghjkl. 
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The Niichi Motor Company is proud to present:
Niichi Kinema -- New for 1960
With the spacious Kinema Estate, the premium Deluxe, and the economical Standard trims, there’s a Kinema for everybody
Kinema Deluxe - Featuring Niichi’s 1900cc 77hp Kuras inline-four
Economy - Elegance - Excellence: The Niichi Motor Company Promise
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From Rhania, To Aero:
“You’re telling the public that the Aero Zipp costs 500 dollars to be maintained while our Rhania Hunter Type-M that we have sent to the government has more power and substance is also around 500 dollars?”
Chapter 2
By 1955, Capital maintained a solid reputation in Letara, being one of the main contributors to the luxury vehicle market with the K6. However, The directive board knew that the difficult times the country had been going through since 1952 had made an impact on their customers. Austerity was on the rise and smart spending was the new trend. Capital had to not just look better, but BE, better.
When the Letaran state announced a new bidding for the National Park guard’s new fleet of trucks, Capital quickly showed up with a proposal coming from one of its subsidiaries, Fitz.
Although it was still unknown in Letara, this brand had earned a big reputation in other countries, leading the light utility truck market. Their sole model, the C90, was chosen and heavily modified to be proposed to Letara’s state.
Safety, drivability and comfort were the main parameters of what would become the Commodore’s succesor:
the 1956 Capital Emissary
The Emissary was conceived as a nimble road cruiser. A newly designed inline-6 was installed, reaching 106hp, while keeping the original transmission setup (4-gear-manual). While it wasn’t much of a performance car, it did well enough to do 0-100km/h barely over 10 seconds, while also being able to reach 170 km/h.
Despite the economic situation, Mako pushed for a new luxury flagship car for the company. Now that Capital owned the coachbuilding company Pegazzo, they were tasked with designing a new body for the Emissary platform, which, 2 years later, it would become the Grand Emissary.
During this period, Capital dropped the basic trims for their future models in order to focus on periodic facelifts to keep up with the competition. That’s why in 1961, a new Emissary was unvailed.
The shaded headlights and rear fins gave the car a sportier look compared to the first iteration. To keep up with the looks, the humble inline-6 was replaced with a powerful V8, coupled with a new 3-speed automatic transmission.
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From AMCW to Rhania:
You mention that your government vehicle cost $500 of your dollar to service. We inform you that cheapest AMCW Scout cost less than $335 to service, and is capable to carry second truck.
Perhaps, spend less time concerned with others, and more time design cars?
Signed,
Vilzahir Jupard Rhuthan-Selgald of Valraad.
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From Rhania, to AMCW:
“Your design of a truck under the assumption was probably built with steel from the U.S.S.R, outdated technology that even our tractors don’t use, little to no entertainment, no power steering, and most of all the execution of Carl Senn which would lead many other companies to investigate the rather peculiar nature of this brand.”
“You can use your powers against this brand, understand that we could do the same as well. So it would be wise to consider not. Before you talk about the cheap maintenance of our vehicle, tell us your fuel economy. Farewell .”
(Part of lore)
In 1959, the Rhania factory in Cuba got captured by the communists and so by making these statements, we are trying to gain some relevance as we don’t have an advertising department.
From Aero, to Rhania:
We second what AMCW said earlier; Perhaps you should spend less time snooping into others’ pre-release details, and more time designing your own cars? And perhaps, if you do wish to snoop further, you should do so via private communications rather than public press releases?
The Aero Company.
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To Rhania:
We do not know of this “U.S.S.R.” that you speak of.
That said, yes, we use steel in our vehicle, as it is quite durable in crash. We power vehicle with half of I6 engine, which we use in Minerva Solarian. Has overhead cam, not exactly out of date. We do not know what an “infotainment” is, but we do include AM radio. Also power-assisted steering.
As for your spies in my palace, I will have them found, tried, and executed. This is act of war. We are proud warriors, and in war, you will not win. Surrender, and we may yet have mercy.
As for fuel economy of Scout, it gets 16.8 of your liters to 100 of your kilometers. Should you wish further discussions, you may come here and speak with my spymaster, Kadinya.
Signed,
Vilzahir Jupard Rhuthan-Selgald.
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Official Statement from Canadian Motors
This letter is directed in response to the criminally recklesss behavior by a certain company.
Firstly, we must address the criminal actions made by the Rhania Corporation.
Clearly you have not learned since our last warning letter we have sent to you back in 1947-1948, and we are especially less than pleased with your recent behavior that you keep participating in.
We are very displeased with you attempting to use your cars’ “advantage points” as leverage over our cars - as seen in the case of you using the O636J “Chieftain” and Kessel cars are benchmarks for your cars. You can rest assured that our highly-trained media and legal team will be contacting you to ensure you comply and take down all advertisements depicting your cars as the superior choice; this is purely propaganda fodder as we see it. We are well aware of the USSR and are actively addressing the threat of the Reds.
As a response to your actions, we hereby in accordance with the compliance of governments have revoked your ability to access countries that are within the umbrella of the British Commonwealth.
We are also coordinating with AMCW and Aero along with HUAC to investigate and deport anyone potentially deemed as spies.
No further reply neccessary if you are the Rhania Corporation.
If you are a company we consider an ally, we look forward to speaking with you,
Canadian Motors
A company for all.
1 Canadian Motors Circle,
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
+1 519-XXX-XXXX
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